At the close of January, Aaron Clark-Rizzio concluded his 8.5 years of service as LCCR’s Executive Director and (later) Legal Director, leaving behind a legacy of thoughtful, dedicated stewardship of LCCR’s mission. Aaron is an accomplished leader, an exceptional mentor, and a source of inspiration for those both inside and outside our organization. His presence in our halls will be sorely missed.
When Aaron joined LCCR in August 2016, he was juggling many challenges. He had never been an Executive Director before, though it was a role he was eager to move into. At the same time, LCCR was at a crossroads, saddled with a budget deficit and programming that wasn’t necessarily in line with our core mission. Changes needed to be made, all while managing the different responsibilities and personalities of two dozen staff members. As if that wasn’t enough, Aaron also had a brand-new baby at home.
“Aaron has always put the needs of our clients and the organization first,” said Legal Director, Hannah Van De Car, who started at LCCR the same month as Aaron. “He took on additional responsibilities, pivoted to address emergencies, and constantly worked to broaden and strengthen our advocacy.”
This was evident early into his tenure: within two years, Aaron jettisoned unnecessary projects, closed LCCR’s deficit, and kicked off a new era of fiscal surpluses. This helped shore up our finances so that we could enhance existing services, improve staff pay and benefits, and grow strategically as an organization.
And grow LCCR did! In late-2017, Aaron turned a collaborative idea that originated on a cocktail napkin into a pilot project that would bring our holistic model into East Baton Rouge, working in partnership with the East Baton Rouge Office of the Public Defender. The pilot that began with a single social worker serving just a few dozen children has since grown to a team of six serving 150 children annually. In 2022, the program received the Louisiana State Bar Association’s prestigious Children’s Law Award. Most importantly, it’s helped buck the statewide trend on juvenile incarceration, with the EBR incarceration rate having declined 17.4% against a 23.1% statewide increase over the same period (2018-2024) —proving definitively that LCCR’s holistic model can work in other cities and locales. This success would have been impossible without Aaron’s vision and willingness to take a chance on expanding LCCR’s footprint in the youth justice space.
He didn’t stop there. Early into his tenure, Aaron helped create an environment at LCCR that led to our organization quickly becoming recognized as the preeminent legal expert on all matters related to juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) in our state. As Louisiana faced having to re-review all past JLWOP sentences thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court 2016 Montgomery v. Louisiana decision, this set the stage for LCCR to be awarded an unprecedented contract to provide JLWOP representation to the dozens of incarcerated individuals statewide. All were sentenced as children to die in prison and were now eligible for resentencing. LCCR would also represent children in new cases facing the possibility of JLWOP sentencing. With that, LCCR’s reach was now statewide! We welcomed 12 new staff members to our team—significantly growing the size of the organization. During our JLWOP Project’s remarkable six-year run, we represented 78 juvenile lifers—helping 58 obtain parole eligibility and 14 others return home to their families and communities, with another 15 cases still pending decision. Amazingly, only three of our clients were resentenced to life without parole.
Aaron’s legacy isn’t just reflected in the growth and stability of LCCR. It’s also reflected in how LCCR weathered times of national crisis and upheaval. Of course, the outbreak of COVID in 2020 drastically changed overnight both how we work and how we live. Aaron suddenly had to figure out how to manage our staff’s safety, allow space to care for their health and mental health, and quickly convert to working remotely. He also had to navigate a juvenile justice system that essentially shut down for months—and determine how to assert the rights of our kids so that they weren’t stuck in limbo within the legal system. Further, working with our team, he had to figure out how we could quickly pivot to ensuring that the basic needs of our clients and their families were being met during a very confusing and threatening time. The pandemic was an exceedingly challenging time for LCCR and the world as a whole, but Aaron’s calm, steady leadership helped us weather the storm.
And then, with the tragic murder of George Floyd in 2020, the nation finally began to wake up to the systemic brutality being lodged against the Black community by the police. Black Lives Matter protests spawned nationwide, transforming the conversation about the way police should operate in our society. This movement also spurred an inward reflection among the nonprofit organizations operating in predominantly Black spaces, acknowledging the lasting disconnect between the populations served and their majority-white staff and leadership. Recognizing the need for change, Aaron prioritized the uplifting of Black voices, experiences, and leadership at LCCR. More importantly, he continued to do so long after the rest of the country had moved on. With staff input, he reshaped the hiring and staffing structure at LCCR to elevate Black candidates. New opportunities were created for internal promotion. Further, the number of Black individuals in leadership positions increased to an equal or majority presence, both internally and on our board of directors.
During this same period, Aaron also recognized the need to make space for a new Black leader to take the helm at LCCR. This paved the way for Kristen Rome to ascend from her JLWOP Direct Representation Director role to Co-Executive Director in August 2022. With the support of LCCR’s board, a plan was put in place for Aaron to fully step down in 2023.
Having longed to return to his public defense roots, Aaron stepped into the role of Legal Director, managing our team of attorneys, investigators, social workers, and youth advocates as well as a case load of his own. In this new role, he was able to mentor LCCR’s newer, younger attorneys—helping instill his brand of zealous youth advocacy. Plus, being back in the courtrooms and arguing cases before judges was a thrilling change of pace. He loved getting to know our kids and their families and was exceptionally good at advocating on their behalf.
That said, working in youth justice can be especially draining: mentally, physically, and morally—one encounters a terrible amount of trauma and injustice when working with kids in this space. As LCCR continued to flourish, Aaron decided it was the right time to step away to recharge, refresh, and embark on a new path.
Reflecting on Aaron’s transformative legacy at LCCR, Executive Director Kristen Rome shared: “Under Aaron’s leadership, LCCR grew from a regional nonprofit law office to a nationally recognized leader in the youth justice field. Aaron’s willingness to collaborate with staff played a critical role in aligning the team for success. We are grateful for his vision and look forward to his continued support as we enter a new era.”
In looking back on his time here, Aaron shared: “I’m proud to have contributed to the growth of this organization and the improvement of our workplace community. I have been blessed in not only being able to give so much to our clients, but also to receive so much back. I am rooting for LCCR’s staff and our clients, and I can’t wait to see what they will accomplish together.”
Thank you, Aaron, for your extraordinary service to LCCR and the youth of Louisiana.
